Trailcam

[silverfoxcc]

Got a couple of these and have been working ok until a couple of nights ago

They were getting good video (IR lit) of our foxes but the last couple of nights i put the out and do not get a picture until it is daylight

Now one i c an understand but 2 having the same problem

They run on 8 AA batteries but can have a DC power input. i have been running them with the batts insertrd ( duracell and rechargable) previously and when i turn it on always got a 95-100% power notification Even reformatted the SD csard in thwe unit but no improvement ans it isnt on lock as the screen tells me that!

IIRC the company said that it would run on 9v dc but surely 12v dc would be better

Any thought on what i an do...apart from buying another 2 lol

[Ozone]

It sounds as though there isn't enough power from the batteries to power the IR's and record at the same time.
Are you recording videos or just taking pictures? If recording video either reduce the record time or switch to just photos.
Do the cameras upload pictures to the cloud/or App or just store on the SD card?

External 12v would be the best option but check that the cams will work with just photos first.
Also check the manufacturers web site for ant firmware updates for the cams.

[Sheepshanks]

Are they supposed to run on rechargeables? Their voltage is a lot less than non-rechargeable, which could be why it wants 9V in, not 12V.

[silverfoxcc]

Ozone/Sheepshanks

This is why i find the electrics a dark art!!

checked the unit and it says by the power input 6V 2A

so i have 3 different voltages

The 12v from the batteries 8x1.5

The 9V DC input that i got on an email from thwecompany

And now the 6V 2a on the unit itself!!


It was 'faltering' a bit prior to putting new duracells in it ( the 200% more power ones) and since then no IR pics

I have taken the batteries out and connected the DC in on the screen one says 75% the other 100% same power unit

Will rese to factory on both tonight and see what happens As an aside the foxes got rid of 4 cut up carcasses, one egg, and 5 large markies in just over an hour


It must have been like Piccadilly Circus and we missed it all Oh well c'est la vie

[S6PNJ]

silverfoxcc said:

The 12v from the batteries 8x1.5

You might be getting 6V from the batteries as they might be arranged 2 x 4 x 1.5 (2 sets (in parallel) of 4 batteries (in series).

[silverfoxcc]

S6PNJ

Ahh someting new i have learned!!..... seriously

So it looks like to DC power units are ok at 6V

will just try the cams with just the 'mains' power to see what haapens.

One Question If one set of 4 is ^v and is enough to power it... wahtis the second set for?

[S6PNJ]

silverfoxcc said:

S6PNJ

Ahh something new i have learned!!..... seriously

So it looks like to DC power units are ok at 6V

will just try the cams with just the 'mains' power to see what happens.

One Question If one set of 4 is ^v and is enough to power it... what is the second set for?

In basic terms voltage is the push, current is the quantity, so the circuits will need 6V to get around the place, but need 2A to make it all work.


One set of 4 batteries will have the necessary 6V but won't have enough drive to make everything work, hence needing 2 sets in parallel which gives double the current.

[Sheepshanks]

silverfoxcc said:

The 12v from the batteries 8x1.5

Rechargeable AA's are nominally 1.2V.

[markbigears]

What make are they?